


Gone

by setmeonfireplease



Series: The Story of the Tucks [5]
Category: Tuck Everlasting - Miller/Tysen/Shear & Federle
Genre: this is sad I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-19 04:27:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7344889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/setmeonfireplease/pseuds/setmeonfireplease
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Miles stands in his now empty house; fists shaking and chest heaving as he takes deep breathes in a poor attempt to calm himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gone

**Author's Note:**

> This is part five out of five. I posted them all in one night. I have no self control. Please don't judge.

Miles stands in his now empty house; fists shaking and chest heaving as he takes deep breathes in a poor attempt to calm himself.

He had begged Rose to stay.

She had said she’d stay.

He promised her that he didn’t sell his soul to the Devil.

He promised her that he had no clue as to what was going on, but that they could figure it out together.

 _She had promised him she would stay_.

Miles had gone to his parents’ house after softly convincing Thomas that everything was okay. They had spent the whole night trying to figure out what was happening to them. Jesse spent most of it in shock. Miles had never heard him speak so little before.

Somehow, they had come to the conclusion that it had been the spring.

Pa had brought up the old horse, Bolt, who had died just a few weeks ago.

Which led to the old cat, Kitten (Ma had made the mistake of letting a four year old Jesse name him), and how he was miraculously still alive.

Which led to only a somewhat funny story about how frightened Kitten had been on the trip over here.

Which led to their arrival in Tree Gap.

Which led to the spring.

Which led to how Bolt refused to drink from the spring, even when Kitten would.

Which led to Jesse suddenly saying “Oh my god it must be the spring!” (the first words he had said the whole night).

They had argued about it for hours. Miles had thought that it was too ridiculous. A random spring in the middle of the woods they drank from _one_ time could not have kept them from aging. It could not have kept Jesse from dying properly. Jesse didn’t put up much of a fight (he seemed so tired and out of it. It made all of them worry. Jesse was usually quick to bounce back).

Ma did put up a fight, however. Apparently she found his spring theory very logical. Pa was on Miles’ side for a while, but after they exhausted almost every idea, he decided that the spring seemed to be the only answer that connected all of them. Miles had reluctantly agreed after a while.

He had ended up falling asleep on his parents couch, and when he woke up he had rushed back home to tell Rose the good news (that he had not, in fact, sold his soul to the Devil and had only drank from an apparently magical spring).

When he got back, however, Rose wasn’t home. Neither was Thomas. And neither was their stuff. Miles had searched all over their small house and could not find one trace of his wife, son, or their possessions. It had quickly become clear that they had left in the night, while Miles was at his parents. But still, he searched.

He continued searching for hours on some deluded hope that maybe, just maybe he’d find them hiding under the bed or in the closet. Or at least a letter saying goodbye. All he found was Rose’s wedding ring.

Miles stands in his now empty house; fists shaking and chest heaving as he takes deep breathes in a poor attempt to calm himself. His house is filled to the brim with furniture, various trinkets, and photographs; but it feels so damn empty without his family.

He’s never felt so upset with anybody in his life (forget how mad he momentarily was with Jesse yesterday. This blew that out of the water).

Rose left him. _His wife left him_.

Why?

Because she was afraid?

Because she thought he was messing with the Devil?

They were supposed to figure this out together. They were supposed to stick this out together. They were supposed to be together.

Perhaps he wouldn’t be so angry if she hadn’t taken Thomas. Maybe he would just be sad, would just be missing her. But she took Thomas. She took his son.

He’s only seven. Miles only got seven years with his son, and then Rose just took him. And if they got this immortality thing right, then that means he has to spend the rest of eternity without Thomas.

Seven years out of an eternity.

How could that possibly be fair?

All Miles can really notice after a moment is how quiet it is. Usually, Thomas is playing (he often brought friends over, but even alone he knew how to have a good time), or Rose is talking about the various students and faculty she has to deal with at the local school. Often times, Jesse and Ma and Pa are visiting, stopping by for one reason or another. The house is rarely quiet.

The usually soft, unnoticeable ticking of the old grandfather clock seems obnoxiously loud in this stiffly silent house. With every passing second, it grows louder and louder until it’s a roar in Miles’ ears. It’s suffocating him, reminding him of the only thing he really has left now.

Before he even realizes it, he’s walking over and punching the clock. The glass shatters, cutting up his hands as it does so. The pain doesn’t stop him from ripping off the hands, punching through the porcelain face and ripping out the gears. When he’s done, he pushes the grandfather clock onto its side. He slides onto his butt, his back against the wall and his bleeding hands in his hair. He's crying again (he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately).

He's so sad it physically hurt. He can feel it in his bones, in his heart, in his soul.

He wants it all to end.

For everything to just stop.

It’s just plain old bad luck that it never will.

**Author's Note:**

> Look . . . I like writing angst. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment and have a wonderful day!


End file.
